Day 23 – March 17, 2010
“Our great field of evangelism is the church itself. We must labor and pray until the church
becomes a force for Christ.”
“The only way is to do as Jesus did – go to them.” (Prophetic Evangelist: The Living Legacy of Harry
Denman, 1993)
Why do we go to church? What happens during the service that is important? What part does each person
in attendance play in the transformation of a crowd of people into a congregation of Christian worshipers?
We are quick to say that we go to church to enjoy the fellowship of other believers and to engage in the
corporate worship of God. Those are good and right answers – but they are not the whole story. We
gather to offer our witness to one another so that we can build each other up, sharpen each other’s skills,
and go out into the world as a more powerful evangelistic force than we were when we entered. In
essence, the Church ministers to the Church so the Church can go into the world in the service of God.
Who ministers? Well, the Bishop appoints a pastor [or pastors]. There is a worship committee and a choir.
There are worship leaders, liturgists, and acolytes. There are many ministers with highly defined roles.
But that is still a very small part of the answer.
Christ ministers to God’s Church through the many members of the body of Christ. That would be you
and me. That would be each of us living into the work God is doing in and through us. That would be all
of us respecting and attending to each of us.
Ministering to the Church is not about going into the church building to participate in an orderly service
of worship. It is about being an active part of a community of believers dedicated to refining one
another’s witness to the world. To reach the world with the Gospel, we help each other go on toward
perfection in love.
I Corinthians 12:7, 29-31a
A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other … Are we all apostles? Are we all
prophets? Are we all teachers? Do we all have the power to do miracles? Do we all have the gift of
healing? Do we all have the ability to speak in unknown languages? Do we all have the ability to interpret
unknown languages? Of course not! So you should earnestly desire the most helpful gifts.
Submitted by: Rev. RuthAnne Henley
